Strong Side Sports

For what may be the first time this year, there is no movement into or out of the Top 10. There is certainly movement within the Top 10 though. And don’t get me started on what’s going on in the middle of the pack. So much inconsistency going on there. There are some basement dwellers who have become more exciting recently, and that’s always…exciting, of course. Anyway, here it is:

Top 10

1. Chiefs – A lot of people are putting the Lions at 1. Look, I get it, but I can’t go against my own philosophy. They stay. Up next: the banged up Bucs at home on Monday night.
2. Lions – Probably the actual number 1 team. They’re kinda like a 1a 1b. Up Next: Road trip to Lambeau, against probably Malik Willis.
3. Bills – The Bills are managing to fly under the radar somewhat this year. Up next: a resurging Dolphins squad at home.
4. Ravens – Very uncharacteristic loss to Cleveland, but to be fair, they had the Jameis Bump. Up next: an unexpectedly good Broncos team.
5. Packers – Just as it seemed Jordan Love had gotten comfortable, we may see him miss more time. Unfortunately for the Pack, the schedule doesn’t feature the Titans and Colts this time but rather two tough divisional games and a Niners team that may be a lot healthier 3 weeks from now. Up next: Hosting the Lions.
6. Vikings – Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Back to back losses is definitely not good. Up next: Home against Indy (who will be a much tougher matchup with Joe Flacco behind center).
7. Texans – The loss of Stefon Diggs hurts extra this week as the team will be without Nico Collins again as he prepares to return from IR. Up next: They travel east to the Meadowlands for a Thursday showdown with the worst good team in the league, the New York Jets.
8. Eagles – Maybe they’re actually pretty good? Still not that sold. Up next: cupcake win against the Jaguars?
9. Falcons – This team exists. But I keep forgetting they do. Up next: A home bout against the Boyz.
10. Steelers – It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to see that this offense is moving the ball much better with Russel Wilson at the helm. Up next: Bye week, followed by a game against the electric Commanders.

Surging

14. Broncos – Slowly but surely they’ve been making their way up, week by week. They don’t hand out a 5-3 record to just anybody. Up next: a great measuring stick game in Baltimore.

17. Rams – The return of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp instantly improved this team. Who would’ve guessed. Up next: on the road against the wishy washy Seahawks.

22. Dolphins – The Dolphins have a chance to make a little run here. I mean they’d probably need to win out to have a chance at the playoffs but who knows, crazier things have happened. Up next: a tough divisional game in Buffalo.

26. Browns – With Jameis Winston at quarterback and the return of Nick Chubb, this team actually becomes competitive again. Up next: A very tough Chargers team comes to town.

Dropping

28. Jets – Okay, yeah, I’ve only got the Jets here. This team is miserable. It’s fine to see miserable football out of Carolina or Vegas, we expect that. But these guys were supposed to be good. Like very good. They got an elite receiver, they haven’t won since. It’s just a shame. Up next: A crucial game Thursday night against Houston, who I will once again remind you, is down its top 2 receivers….

Week 9 Picks

Some Thoughts

Texans @ Jets – My craziest pick this week, really. I’ll probably regret it, but I’m thinking that the Jets have a decent shot with the big weapons missing on Houston’s offense. Maybe I’m reading this one entirely wrong, but I’m giving the Jets the slight edge.

Broncos @ Ravens – This game was a nothing burger at the start of the season, but now it appears to be very interesting. Baltimore excels at offense, while struggling on D, and the opposite is true for the Broncos. Very curious to see how this one turns out, but I like the Ravens coming off a bad loss to the Browns.

Colts @ Vikings – This would’ve been a Vikings run away win if AR was starting for Indy, but with Joe Flacco at the helm, things get interesting. His experience should mitigate some of the confusion that Brian Flores’ defense causes. I’ve got a feeling like we are going to see one Flacco interception, but if it was AR, there would be 3 of those. The Vikings can’t really afford to lose their third straight, especially in a stacked division like the NFC North this year. Should be a good one.

And yeah, that’s Week 9, spooky stuff.

See ya Tuesday